Bill Parcells used to call them his hold the fort guys. They were his invaluable, unsung reserves who stepped up in times of crisis to keep hope alive when all seemed lost.

Coach Tom Coughlin needs his guys to Hold the Fort one more time against the Redskins today. Hold the Fort until Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks and David Diehl and maybe even Shaun O’Hara can all ride back on their Big Blue horses, possibly as early as next Sunday in Minneapolis, and help Eli Manning and Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora chase another Super Bowl championship.

With heavyweights such as the Eagles and Packers (at Lambeau) looming ominously later this month, the Giants face the closest thing to a must-win game today against their old nemesis, Donovan McNabb. It’s a better-not-lose game.

It’s a game where Coughlin’s hold the fort guys need to Hold the Fort one more time as the cavalry gets ready to ride to the rescue.

“We gotta keep the pace,” Chase Blackburn said. “Philly won [Thursday] night. So, for us . . . we gotta win. In order for our games to mean something later in the year, gotta win now.”

The Giants better not lose to the Redskins today or beating the Jaguars last week means nothing.

The Giants, even with too many of their significant players spending too much time lately with trainer Ronnie Barnes, still can win the division, still can avoid that dreaded second-half collapse and avoid missing the playoffs two years in a row for the first time under Coughlin.

It is a division game, where the Giants are 1-2, and it is a conference game, where the Giants are 5-2. If the Eagles win the division, the Giants will be forced to squeeze past the Falcons (6-1 in the conference) or Saints (7-2), and Packers (5-3) or Bears (6-3) or Buccaneers (5-2), for one of the wild card berths.

McNabb is no slouch, even if Redskins coach Mike Shanahan thinks he has a cardiovascular endurance problem. And Shanahan always is dangerous, even without a legitimate running back.

Hold the Fort.

“How many superstars does each team have — 10, 12? Well there’s 41 other guys that suit up,” defensive end Dave Tollefson said. “So really, the vast majority of the team are hold the fort guys. And we got a great crew in here.”

Blackburn was one of the original hold the fort guys. Now he’s special teams captain and he knows a hold the fort guy when he sees one. Here are a few of those guys:

BEAR PASCOE
: “He’s done an exceptional job to move to fullback, taking the place of Madison Hedgecock, and still been able to go back and play some tight end when we needed him to go down there,” Blackburn said.

WILL BEATTY:
“He doesn’t quit,” Tollefson said of the left tackle. ‘You see a lot of young guys if they get best, maybe not finishing, Beatty does a good job of doing whatever it takes to finish the play. The guy’s feet are phenomenal.”

KEVIN BOOTHE
: “He was on the Physically Unable to Perform list with [a pectoral injury] later last year, and the beginning of this year,” Blackburn said of the left guard. “But he just fought through it and waited it out and came back at the right time. Right when we needed a guy to come in and play guard and we were able to move Richie over to center and let him play.”

RICH SEUBERT
: “A guy that (chuckle) plays [through] everything,” Blackburn said of the center. “Can’t get rid of him.”

DEREK HAGAN:
“Obviously a guy who, for whatever reason wasn’t on the team to begin with — or on any team,” Blackburn said of the wide receiver. “Thank goodness he wasn’t with anybody, we needed a guy that could come in and knew the system. And still does an excellent job on special teams as well.”

MICHAEL CLAYTON and DEVIN THOMAS:
“They’re both new, but they’ve both proven themselves over the years,” Blackburn said of the two receivers. “It’s not like they’re rookies the first time doing it.”

JASON PIERRE PAUL
: “When [Mathias] Kiwanuka was having a Pro Bowl-type year to start, honestly, he’s been able to come in in that role and he’s doing great,” Blackburn said of the defensive end. “And still gives us a lot on special teams.”

DARIUS REYNAUD:
Replaced Domenik Hixon, then was replaced by Will Blackmon.

“With Will getting nicked up, he had to come back in,” Blackburn said of the kickoff returner.

Tollefson credits the Giants’ depth to the entire organization.

“It’s really the makeup of this team,” Tollefson said. “That’s a credit to the front office, really, of getting guys in the locker room, that are willing to do whatever it takes to win games.”